Correspondence to: Professor Jiin-Shuh Jean, President of IMGA Taiwan

1. Taiwan Chapter of IMGA: Medical Geology in TaiwanMEDGEO2013 5th International Conference on Medical Geology, Aug 24-29, 2013, Arlington, VA, USA I. History(http://proj.ncku.edu.tw/imgatwn) IV. Structure (http://proj.ncku.edu.tw/imgatwn) ●A certificate of recognition was conferred on the Taiwan Chapter on Medical Geology to the Chapter leader- Professor Jiin-Shuh Jean on 19 May 2010 at the 3rd International Congress of Arsenic in the Environment (As 2010) at the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan, 17-21 May 2010. ●The IMGA Taiwan Chapter completed the registration in May 2011 from the Ministry of Interior, Taiwan. The Inauguration Ceremony of the Chapter was held at NCKU on 12 July 2011. ●The Chapter had the first Annual Meeting and Conference with the theme of “Frontiers of Medical Geology in Taiwan” at NCKU on 29 May 2012. ●The Chapter had the second Annual Meeting and Conference with the theme of “Linking Medical, Biological, Environmental, Geological and Geochemical Sciences” at NCKU on 14 May 2013. (d) II. Membership ●Currently, the Taiwan Chapter of IMGA has 15 active members with payment. ●The Chapter has established the Membership Committee to recruit more members. ●Our strategy to recruit more members is to (1)encourage existing members to continuously involve in chapter activity and conference; (2)recruit new members from universities, government, organizations, and industry. V. Medical Geology in Taiwan III. Scientific Activity ((http://proj.ncku.edu.tw/imgatwn) 1.Organized Meetings: ●1st Annual Meeting and Conference on 29 May 2012. ●2nd Annual Meeting and Conference on 14 May 2013. 2. Edited e-newsletters twice a year: June and December issues. 3. Edited a special issue on medical geology in Asia in Journal of Asian Earth Sciences (in press). 4. Invited speakers to the Annual Meetings and Conferences. ●Prof. Jose Centeno’s lecture to the 1s Annual Meeting and Conference of Taiwan Chapter on 29 May 2012. ●Several medical geology problems in Taiwan have been reported. For example, arsenic-caused blackfoot disease (BFD) and skin lesions in SW Taiwan and water-borne diseases caused by microbes. Many potential topics in this emerging medical geology can be intensively explored. Taiwan has its base in scientific achievement in arsenic carcinogenesis and toxicity. ●Blackfoot Disease (BFD) Museum in SW Taiwan ●The source rock of arsenic in the Chianan Plain aquifer, SW Taiwan where blackfoot disease (BFD) occurred before 1990 ●Arsenic research ●Prof. Laurent Charlet’s lecture to the 2nd Annual Meeting and Conference of Taiwan Chapter on 14 May 2013. The arsenic-affected experimental site in Hsuehchia, Tainan City, Taiwan. Prof. Laurent Charlet visited drilling wells in Budai, Chiayi County, Taiwan. VI. Future Plan • Keep a functional networking platform to promote the multidisciplinary collaborations between geology, medicine, biology, physics, hydrology, etc. • Promote health and earth sciences and public awareness through early educations to the students in middle schools. • Promote the biological-relevant environmental research through regular activities. 5. Multidisciplinary integrated research grant project from National Science Council for a study of molecular structure evolution of arsenic and humic substance complexes from arsenic-enriched groundwater to mice (1 Aug. 2013- 31 July 2014). Correspondence to: Professor Jiin-Shuh Jean, President of IMGA Taiwan Chapter, Tainan, Taiwan (E-mail: jiinshuh@mail.ncku.edu.tw) Chapter website: http://proj.ncku.edu.tw/imgatwn